Throughout the last half a century, quartz countertops have risen from obscurity to become a very high-quality form of surface material, but it was a slow climb to respectability.
Even now quartz countertops still have to compete with natural stone and solid surfaces such as Corian for space in bathrooms and kitchens.
Quartz is a manmade hard countertop material that is primarily used in bathrooms and kitchens and consists of a collection of stone-like materials that are bound together with resins and compacted into sheets.
Quartz has a major advantage over a natural stone in that it does not require sealing because the resins have already performed that task. The controlled nature of its manufacture also means that it comes with very few imperfections.
There are a number of famous brand names for quartz products, including the likes of Cambria, Silestone and Caeserstone, with the material known as solid surface being its main rival given that both make use of stone-like materials.
“Engineered stone counters” is another name given to quartz countertops, which are manufactured with 93% stone-like materials, with the remaining 7% consisting of either cement or plastic-based binders.
Quartz is actually just one of the many stone-like materials used in the manufacture of these countertops. The other materials usually used include the likes of natural stone, marble and granite, which provide the countertops with the non-porous and hardness needed to make a good surface for cooking.
Quartz countertops are available in most US states, including mn.
